Life Support
by Hermia S
Summary: Shepard finds herself in need of Thane's company, and he's more than willing to give it to her.


**A/N: **Sooo... I really wasn't expecting to update again today, but the gals over at the BioWare Social Site inspired me to throw all caution to the wind and say - to hell with it, needs more Thanesmut! And this piece is dedicated to ALL OF THEM. Love love.

So yeah, this is a bit... gratuitous compared to the other one, but - you... you don't mind, do you? ;)

* * *

Thane spent most of his time in Life Support due to its arid air - a stark contrast to the slightly dewy temperatures elsewhere around the ship. It was his alcove, his new home.

With the Collector threat nothing but remnants forgotten behind the Omega 4 Relay, the crew of the Normandy SR-2 had even more time on their hands. They were docked at the Citadel more often than not lately. Shepard had "business" to attend to, which was her way of saying she'd be stuck trying to persuade Anderson and the rest of the Council that the Reapers were coming for hours at a time.

Their time spent together was fleeting at best. Ever since the night after the destruction of the Collector base, Shepard set aside as much time as possible to spend with him, near him. He could tell that she needed him for moral support as well as the physical. She told him about how the Council never believed her, how Anderson was still reeling from her allying with Cerberus. The fact that she wasn't working with the Illusive Man anymore didn't seem like it mattered much. She still spent time taking Cerberus's money. That brought her mission under a scrutinizing eye, even more so than it would have been before.

She had information that would prepare them for the problems ahead, but they didn't believe her. When she spoke to him about it, her voice shook despite its fierceness. They were blind. They refused to accept the truth. He hated seeing her warnings cast aside, but he understood why the Council would be wary to believe her. It was not the woman who spoke, but what she said.

Thane glanced up from his mug when he heard the door slide open.

As if he'd beckoned her with his thoughts, Shepard strode in the room. She was dressed simply - a dark blue blouse, black slacks, and she didn't seem too pleased. Still, a smile lit up her face when she saw Thane stand from his chair.

"Hey," she greeted, her voice uncharacteristically husky.

He bridged the gap between them, his hands resting upon her hips. "Good afternoon," he said. There was a hint of a smile at his lips, which vanished just before he leaned in to press them against hers. He could hardly describe his own desire to kiss her when she was near to him. It was as if he was drawn to her, as if he couldn't focus on anything but her when she was so close.

Suddenly, her meeting with Anderson was nothing but a thing of the past. With Thane standing directly before her, smelling like a mixture of coffee and that indescribable scent of his skin that was both sweet and spicy, another part of her took over entirely. Something slightly animalistic, something that felt more like a compulsion than a choice. Pressing her chest to his, she nudged him backwards without breaking the kiss. And continued to do something until she felt a slight jolt indicating he was leaning against the desk.

"Is there something you need, siha?" he asked her, almost teasingly. She could feel his fingertips slipping beneath the flimsy fabric of her top, moving dangerously close to the waist of her pants. He knew what she needed.

Her hands ran aimlessly over the smooth leather of his suit. "You could say that," she murmured, tilting her head back as Thane's lips trailed kisses down over her jaw and along her neck. Each cautious nibble brought a newfound heat to her skin. So distracted was she by the mouth against her throat, she hardly noticed her slacks falling to pool around her feet.

Hooking her ankle around his, Shepard pushed him back into a seated position on the desk. A surprised light flashed in his eyes, followed by his slight smile returning. While Shepard wasn't exactly the type of woman who'd play a maiden in the bedroom, in the weeks since their relationship became physical, they'd never taken up a singular role. It wasn't even a power struggle between them, a constant bid for the "upper hand." They just were. So her sudden assertion of dominance was… interesting.

"Ah, yes," Thane said quietly, hands seeking out the sides of her face to bring her in for a lingering kiss. "I think I understand now."

"Do you?" she asked, fingers deftly undoing the buckles of his jacket. "Because I don't think I've made myself clear enough." Hands sliding into the shadows beneath the leather, she slipped the jacket off of his shoulders before casting it aside. At that, she climbed onto the desk, a knee on each side of his thighs.

Thane's arm swept backwards, sending his mug falling away. It hit the floor with a dull thump, but the spill could wait. She wasn't going to give him the time to clean it up, anyway. Not that he'd be interested in doing so. Shepard placed her hands in the center of his bare chest and pushed him until his back was rested against the cool metallic desk. The feeling of the cold against the bare patch on his back sent a chill through him that was fiercely counteracted by the trail of kisses Shepard placed along the red underside of his throat.

She could feel it begin to hum beneath her mouth, the vibrations sending tiny tendrils of warmth through her lips and cheeks. Claiming his lips with her own, she found herself moving faster than she ever had. Desperation drove her tongue into his mouth, and he replied with equal fervor. Her hands fought against the desire to concentrate on nothing besides the kiss, finding their way down to the zipper beneath the center of his chest.

This time, Shepard wasn't playing any games. The zipper ran all the way down and she ground her hips down against him, pulling forth a quiet gasp of pleasure from his lips.

But the desk wasn't comfortable. Pulling himself into a seated position, Thane curled his arms around Shepard and lifted her off of him. Without the added weight of her armor, she was surprisingly light, and she didn't even give a murmur of protest as he silenced her with another lip-biting kiss. Pushing off of the desk, he stood, body pressed as close to hers as possible.

His deft fingers went to the buttons on her blouse, and, while she hadn't been leisurely in her unzipping, he unbuttoned one at a time. When she went to hurry him up by "helping," his hands goaded her back until her shoulders were pressed against the cool glass that separated Life Support from the ship's drive core. She could hear the core hum, even through the glass, which vibrated slightly. Fine. She wasn't going to fight him.

Fingertips drew lazy circles on the burning skin of her stomach as he worked his way slowly upwards.

Shepard tilted her head backwards, her crown resting against the glass. Finally, he reached the last button, unveiling something very different from her common grey fatigues. Lace. Pale pink lace that hardly stood out against the color of her skin. With her shirt discarded at last, Thane took another step forward. His hands went to her waist, hoisting her up off of her feet to sit on the sill.

Her entire body shivered at the feeling of glass against her back. Curling her arms around his neck, Shepard's lips found his again for a moment before he rocked her backwards, sliding his lithe frame between her legs.

The feeling of the chill at her back and the white heat the seared through her as he slipped inside had her clutching him as tight as she could. "Thane," she gasped. Her body was pressed against his, and between the pounding of her own heart and the vibrations that emanated from his throat, coursing over his chest, she could hardly see straight. "Oh, God."

His fingers were in her hair, pulling her back just far enough to snatch up her lips in a passionate kiss. How one man could be so gentle, yet powerful, she had no idea. Nor did she care at that exact moment as a ripple of pleasure shot through her limbs.

Part of her knew she should keep quiet. This was the crews quarters, after all. Wanton screams would lead to someone investigating, and she hadn't locked the access pad after she came in. Still, another part of her couldn't have cared less. This part was the one that dug her fingers into the drell's shoulders as she struggled to pull him even closer, her entire body shuddering in delight. This part was the one that shouted his name.

As his movements slowed, his own breath coming in short bursts, he lifted her off of the window's sill. Her legs gave out beneath her, but his strong arms were wrapped around her not a moment later, holding her up.

The room was slowly beginning to spin. When she looked into Thane's eyes, everything seemed stable, but the moment she looked away, everything seemed to be in constant motion, shifting slightly, altering. She shut her eyes. A side effect. One she'd experienced before, but in the comfort of her own bed.

Mixed up with her own racing thoughts, the sudden dizziness had Shepard grasping onto Thane for dear life.

"You should lie down, siha," he murmured into her ear, his lips still pulsing slightly. She nodded, mute, her arms still curled around his neck. He guided her over to his cot and helped her sink down onto it. Watching her as her face hit his pillow and she breathed in deeply, he couldn't help but smile a little.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her temple before smoothing her hair away from her face. When he went to stand, he felt a hand on his, holding him back. She looked up at him, cheeks flushed. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For being here when I need you." She chuckled a little, "Emotionally _and_ physically."


End file.
